


Behind Door Number 55

by Mare9548



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Action, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Drama, Evil!Tommy, Gen, H.I.V.E., Light Angst, Speculation, Tommy Merlyn is Alive, Wishful Thinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-01 13:59:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4022482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mare9548/pseuds/Mare9548
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Team Arrow, with the help of Barry Allen, gives a hit to Damien Darhk and his men. During the assault, they discover somebody who had been held against their will for years and they thought he was dead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Behind Door Number 55

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, my dearies,
> 
> Here I come with a new story. The inspiration came first after the promo for 'Legends of Tomorrow' was released and it was confirmed that Sarah was back thanks to the Lazarus' pit. Then saw a live tweet from City of Heroes saying that Stephen Amell wants Oliver to put Tommy in the pit. So, my question was: if they're bringing Sarah back, why not Tommy?
> 
> This drabble is a speculation (or wishful thinking, if you like) of other way that Tommy can be brought back.
> 
> Hope you like it. All the kudos and comments are deeply appreciated.

“Southwest corner, cleared.”

Felicity heard Oliver reporting his advance through the compound. Along with John and Laurel and Barry, they’ve infiltrated a H.I.V.E station just outside of Coast city. For months to no end and using all her IT skills, it took a miracle to finally discover the location. As soon they got it, a plan was made and put into action before Darhk and his minions could foresee what was happening.

It had become a personal matter for her, beyond her bruised hacker ego and stopping the threat looming over them and the world. Since a year ago, when she discovered that her dad was no other than Damien Dark, Felicity was determined to make everything within her possibilities to undo her father’s reproachable deeds. But it turned out to be much harder than she thought. She had to admit that the level of expertise of whoever was in charge of their digital security rivaled hers. An aggravating fact. She almost gave up hacking into H.I.V.E’s network, when finally she had a breakthrough.

Felicity collected all the data she could in the few seconds that the connection was safe. It took her another ten days to decrypt the info and make some sense of it. There was still plenty to work on, but something that repeated several times was the aforementioned station.

Finding out why that compound was so important, and perhaps disable it, could be a great hit against H.I.V.E. One that unequivocally would lift the team spirit. They’ve been taking a lot of blows lately. It had started to feel even worse than when they were at war against the late Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Assassins.

“John, a group of men are heading your way from the right,” Felicity warned her as she kept her eyes wide open looking at the A.R.G.U.S’ satellite thermal imaging in the screen of her tablet.

“Copy that.”

He was moving from North to South, through the main corridor of the facility. Laurel was closing in from the East. A level below her team, and with Barry as bodyguard, she was heading to the facility’s mainframe. She had created a virus that would fry all H.I.V.E systems and erase all the data in their network. It was a risky move, but it had to be done. That could be the only chance for them to accomplish such triumph. And the only way to do it was for her to plug in her table directly and upload it.

She suggested it when they were planning the attack. The response she got was not what she expected. None of the team was too happy to let her wander in an enemy HQ alone, Oliver was who least liked the idea. The plan required all of them focused on their assigned tasks and there was no one who could serve as her chaperon.

Even Thea had a job to do in Starling City, serving as a distraction for the contingent of H.I.V.E men that were on their tails. It was just after she reminded them that it wouldn’t be the first they did a similar job, and The Flash had appeared very timely in their doorstep, that her participation was finally included.

“Felicity, are you there yet?” Oliver’s taut and gravelly voice in her ear made her jump.

“Almost.”

She walked faster, shortening the distance between her and the door at the end of the hallway. Barry followed her closely, attentive to any unwelcome company. When they reached the closed door, Felicity worked as fast as she could to open the electronic lock. She breathed in relief when the latch opened, giving them access to the room. “I’m in,” she told Oliver.

Immediately, she plugged in her tablet and upload it the virus. She took a second tablet from her backpack, connected it as well, and searched for the security camera feed. In just a few seconds, she got the image of Laurel, who had joined John, and they were fighting H.I.V.E. men.

Kicking their asses, could be a more accurate to say.

Oliver was doing likewise at the opposite side of the level. The alert of breaking in had been giving them away, and there was more men drawing near them. “Guys,” she said, and gulped, unable to masked her trepidation, “huge incoming your way.”

She went through the feed of the different cameras, trying to find out a point where she could deter them. However, at some point, she stopped switching cameras and angles. She stared at the screen in a state of total disbelief. “Oh, my God,” she breathed.

“What is it, Felicity?” Barry questioned behind her. “Isn’t that…?” he said, then stopped himself. He had fallen in the same incredulous state as she.

“Yeah, I think he is.”

 

 

 

While Oliver shot another deadeye arrow taking down the last men near him, he wondered why Felicity was taking so long. Darhk’s men seemed to be ants coming at him from everywhere. Soon, they’ll be more attacking him. For what he could hear through his earpiece, John and Laurel were in similar circumstances.

He wanted to take everybody out now, before the situation got out of control. That was when he heard the shocked whisper, coming from Felicity. “Oh, my God.”

“What’s going on?” when she ignored him, he insisted. “Talk to me, Felicity. Are you ok?”

“Oliver, you have to see this. You need to go upstairs. Take the stairs, 60 feet ahead of you. At the end of the corridor the second last door. It’s marked number 55.”

“What?”

“Just do it!! You won’t believe it until you see him.”

Intrigued, Oliver did what she suggested. On his way, he defeated a couple of men by the stairs, then traveled through the hallway, with dread rising in his chest. At the door, he paused a moment while Felicity gave him access, worried about what he would find inside. Nothing could prepare him for what waited inside for him.

He got in with an arrow ready to shoot. However, he lowered his bow when a pair of green eyes he had known practically all his life returned the gaze at him. The last time Oliver had seen them, death had extinguished their light. It had been the night when Oliver lost his best friend in life.

“Ollie.”

“T-Tommy?”

“Hi, buddy.”

Oliver couldn’t believe his eyes… or his ears. Tommy Merlyn was in front of him, alive and well, but even so his mind and heart couldn’t erase the moment when his friend drew his last breath; the night Oliver couldn’t save him.

“You can come close. I’m not a ghost, I’m alive, you know,” some of Tommy’s charm and humor were still there, but, Oliver knew from experience that, whatever his friend went through to be resurrected, and being held prisoner had left a deep mark on him.

Oliver finally shortened the distance between them and hugged Tommy. “I missed you, buddy,” he echoed the words that Tommy had said to him when he came back from Lian Yu.

“Ha! And you also want a t-shirt that says “My friend came back from the dead and all I got was this crappy shirt”.”

The moment was broken by the appearance of John at the door. “We got to roll, Oliver. Barry already took Felicity out. Time to go.”

“Ready to go home?” Oliver asked Tommy.

”What do you think?”

 

 

_Twenty four hours later…_

 

Charlotte Meyer, Channel 52 newscaster, waited for her signal, looked at the camera, and spoke, enunciating each word carefully. “Tommy Merlyn is alive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I go I want, first, to thank you all for giving me kudos and bookmarked the story. You're the best!!  
> Second, to remind you that you can find me @ [stygian-omada-fan.tumblr.com](http://www.stygian-omada-fan.tumblr.com) where you can talk to me about anything (especially if you any prompt for me)  
> I'm also at [@Olicity_fics](http://www.twitter.com/Olicity_Fics), where I recommend the fics that I like and tweet anything Olicity/Arrow related. Follow me and I'll follow back.


	2. Through The Devil's Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thea is concerned about Tommy's behaviour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my lovelies,  
> This is an unexpected plot twist that my muse throw at me. When I published the first chapter, I did it with the intention that it would be a one-shot kind of story. But then my muse came and said the opposite. This sequel was the result.  
> I'm not sure if my muse will stop right here, or will continue throwing things at me. We'll have to wait and see.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it :)

Oliver put the key in the keyhole and opened the front door of the loft that he used to share with his sister, Thea. Since he and Felicity had come back to Staling city and moved in together, his sister had lived alone.

All that changed three weeks before when, in an unexpected turn of events, they found out that Tommy was alive. Wanting to reconnect with her other half-brother, Thea convinced Tommy to live with her. Oliver thought it was a good idea. If anything had taught him the last four years in his life was that his sister was a lot tougher than anyone could imagine. Especially when dealing with a stubborn brother, emotionally closed off after having survived a vile ordeal.

He should know. Oliver hadn’t made things easier for her, or the relationship between them, until he came clean with all his secrets.

And more importantly, Tommy needed to be around a family who loved him.

That’s why when she called, thirty minutes before, and her voice laden with worry, he had dropped everything and had come. “Thea? Tommy?” he called out to them stepping in the loft.

“Hey, Ollie! Thank you for coming over,” his sister said, walking toward him from the kitchen with a steamy cup in her hands.

“You sounded anxious over the phone. Everything okay?”

Thea offered him some tea, but he declined. “So, what’s up?

“It’s Tommy,” Thea whispered while she sat on the couch, then looked over her shoulder. Tommy Merlyn was outside in the balcony, his hands on the rail and looking the city below. “I want you to talk to him.”

“Okay. About what?”

“The first week or two we were able to talk some things about what happened to him, about what he remembers, which isn’t much, but since a few days ago he’s gotten withdrawn and quiet. When I try to engage a talk, he turns me down.”

“That’s not unusual, Thea. Can’t be easy to talk about it. Give him time.”

“I know, Ollie. But that’s not all. Last night, when I came home after vigilante duty, he was having a nightmare. I tried to wake him up. When he did, he attacked me.”

“What?!” immediate concern filled Oliver’s chest. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Nothing happened,” she dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. “What scared me was the look in his eyes. That wasn’t Tommy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I fall short saying that they were cold and empty.”

“Could it be that the Queen siblings are talking about me?”

The icy tone in Tommy’s voice made Oliver snap his head up. His friend was standing under the door frame that gave access to the balcony. His lips were curved up. The smile lacked of the usual warmth. It wasn’t the signature contagious smile of Tommy Merlyn, it was the one of a stranger. A stranger with hidden machinations behind a friendly gesture.

But the hatred in Tommy’s eyes was the thing that truly took Oliver aback. The darkness in them reminded him those days when he and Tommy weren’t in the best of terms, just after he found out his alter ego.

Just then was when Oliver understood what Thea meant. She didn’t know this dark side of Tommy, but Oliver did.

“Hey, Tommy. Thea was just telling me you’ve had a few days in low spirit,” Oliver said calmly.

“I’m not in low spirit. Just remembering things, thinking.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not with you,” the so far icy, but even, voice turned into a deadly growl.

“Tommy—” Thea pleaded.

“You better stay out of this, baby sis. I understand that you can’t see how Oliver really is as clear as I do, but I won’t stand here hearing you defending him.”

“No, Tommy, I’m not defending him. But I think you’re confused. Maybe we should take you to the doctor or something…”

“Thea is right. We’re not sure how you were resurrected or how exactly affected you.”

In the weeks that he had been back, Tommy hadn’t been able to tell them how was possible that he was alive, but Oliver suspected that Damien Darhk had used the pit’s water on Tommy, the same way it was used on Thea. And he remembered the few first hours after she came back and her confused mind. Something similar could be happening to him.

Oliver wasn’t completely sure of the lastly effect that the water could have on people. His sister seemed her usual self, but maybe the longer they take to submerge a person after they die, the more changes that person suffers. He could ask Nyssa, or Malcolm, but he didn’t want to talk to them, especially to Merlyn. He had informed him that his son was alive, and _strongly_ recommended him to stay away.

Oliver was sure Tommy wanted his dad at safe distance… but looking at his friend right now, he started to doubt it.

“Why don’t we calm down, okay?” Oliver suggested. Slowly, he stepped forward with the idea of making himself as a protective barrier between Tommy and Thea. He consciously knew, his sister didn’t need any protection. She was more than capable of seriously kick asses. But it was etched in his brain that it was what he should… what any older brother would do.

“I won’t calm! I’m out of here!!” were Tommy’s enraged words, before storming out.

“Tommy!” Thea went after him, but Oliver made her stop.

“Speedy, wait.”

“We need to go after him! We can’t let him leave like this, Ollie”

“I’ll go. You stay here in case he comes back. Call me if you hear about him.”

“You, too.”

Thea watched Oliver leave the loft, while worry consumed her. She hoped both of her brothers returned soon, then find a way to help Tommy.

 

 

 

“Sir, did you call me?”

“Have you been able to recover anything?” inquired the man’s boss, without tearing his sight from the city that extended for miles outside of the window. He had the hands at his back, and his posture indicated how much power was vested in him.

“Nothing so far, sir. Ms. Smoak was thorough in her work. She left nothing but crumbs in our systems.”

“Keep working.”

“Yes, sir.”

Just when the man in charge was alone in his office, he stepped away from the window and sat behind the ebony desk that ruled the office. If the circumstances were different, surely he could be openly proud of the great feat Felicity Smoak had done just mere weeks ago. If it hadn’t been against him and his organization, he wouldn’t have spared a single moment to announce to everyone willing to hear it how his daughter had hacked and destroyed the safest digital network in the world.

In reality, her actions would slow his plans. Slow them down, but not stopped them. And in the meantime, he was sure that Oliver Queen, his daughter and their allies would be busy.

Damien Darhk should be vexed because Tommy Merlyn wasn’t under his care, anymore. It was the ace under his sleeve in the case that Malcolm Merlyn, as the new Ra’s Al Ghul, contemplated the idea of getting in the middle of his plans.

The treatment based on the properties of the Lazarus’ water, that was used on the boy, had its complications. He and his scientific team hadn’t been able to reduce the psychological imbalance that came with it. The isolation, in which they kept Thomas Merlyn, helped to reduce the possible triggers for a violent reaction. But now, out in the world, the mind of Tommy Merlyn would spin out of control.

Maybe Damien wouldn’t have to do anything to eliminate the threat that Team Arrow represented for him. Perhaps, the young Merlyn would do the job for him.

The thought brought a smile to his face. It was something that he hadn’t done since the Coast city heist.


	3. Insanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy continues falling down in a spiral of insanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my dearies!
> 
> I haven't forgotten you, I swear! Only that between RL and my muse refusing to cooperate with me for my other fic, I abandoned this one for a bit. But don't fret. I already got the idea for the next chapter, and the next to that is almost done. I started to write it but realized that it needed to happen a few things first before I can publish that one, so here we are.
> 
> This chapter is an angstfest. I'm not sorry! I'm not that evil, so at the end I added a bit of sweetness, that way you won't hate.
> 
> I'm talking too much, right? Go read and enjoy!!

 

Oliver had been out for hours, looking for Tommy. It wasn’t the first time it happened. All started almost a month later they found him alive, and in the following weeks, it had become a more frequent event. Tommy’s erratic mental state had Oliver very worried. Tommy’s mood changed without warning. He could go from the easygoing, charming friend, that he used to know, to a confused man, that didn’t recognize his family or friends, to an angry, violent stranger, which Oliver suspected to be capable of doing unspeakable acts. Each time, his friend’s behavior got more and more unstable and paranoid.

That particular occasion, Tommy had been missing for almost two days. He vanished without saying anything, leaving his cell phone behind, and somehow, Tommy had turned off the tracker Oliver had put on him. Therefore, there was no way to locate him. Felicity used her facial recognition software to find Tommy through the cameras all around the city, but she came with nothing. It was like if Earth had swallowed him. The only certainty was that he was still in Starling City.

Out of ideas of where Tommy could be, and after exhausting every resource at their disposal to find him, Oliver went to the last place he could think of. To the Merlyn mansion. Tommy showed no interest in it since he came back, but it was all Oliver got.

He went inside and walked through sinister, dark house. The floor and the furniture under wraps were covered by a layer of dust. It was more than obvious that the house had stayed abandoned for years.

Yet, Oliver carried on with his course. He walked silently, straining his ears to hear any sound. After making sure that the garage was empty, Oliver went up. The ground floor seemed to be empty as well.

Oliver heard a soft rustle, coming from upstairs. Immediately, he went to the top floor. “Tommy? Tommy, are you here?”

Nobody answered him. But the rustle was louder. Someone was pacing back and forward inside a room. Passing by Tommy’s childhood bedroom, Oliver saw the door ajar. Peeking inside, Oliver sighed in relief when he saw his friend there.

The relief didn’t last long, though.

Tommy had his hair wrapped around his fists in anguish. He was pulling it so hard, that Oliver wouldn’t be surprised, if he had bloody strands between his fingers. While Tommy paced, a fast litany of intelligible rant came out of his lips.

“Hey buddy,” Oliver said quietly, not wanting to startle his friend. “Tommy,” he said firmer and louder, when didn’t get any response from him. Only when he touched him on the shoulder, Tommy stopped in his tracks and looked at Oliver.

“I hurt her!” Tommy whimpered. His eyes reflected the delirium and pain that had strong grip on his mind.

“What?” Oliver took Tommy by his shoulders and looked at him, directly in the eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“I— I hurt her. She’s dead!”

“Who’s dead?”

The thought of Tommy might have killed somebody made Oliver’s heart beat faster in dread. Tommy wouldn’t be able to cope with the guilt. And in his state of mind could be the last drop for him to completely lose it.

“Thea!” he sobbed.

Oliver let out sharply a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “She’s fine, Tommy.”

Although he was relieved to know Tommy hadn’t hurt someone, Oliver winced in sympathy, thinking how devastating was the guilt when you felt responsible to hurt somebody you love.

“No! I killed her!”

“Listen to me. I just talked to her less than ten minutes ago. She’s fine, but worried about you. She’s waiting for you at home.”

“She is?”

“Yes.”

“But the blood?” Tommy looked down at his hands, seeing something that Oliver could not. “I thought…”

“It’s okay,” Oliver soothed him, even when his words might not be completely truthful. “Let’s get out of here.”

Nodding, Tommy let him walked him out, without protest. While they marched out the house, Oliver racked his brain, thinking where he should take Tommy. One thing was dealing with his moodiness, and occasional confusion, and another very different was to handle Tommy while he was having hallucinations. Maybe, it was time to look for professional help.

At first, Oliver didn’t want to get that instance, but, obviously, the situation had gotten out of his control.

 

 

Two hours later, Oliver opened the door of the duplex where he lived in with Felicity. She was waiting for him. She kissed and hugged him as soon as he entered. He took comfort in her warmth, in the scent that enveloped him whole. He was home.

“How’s Tommy?” she whispered, her voice filled with concern.

Oliver pulled away just enough to cup her face with his hands. “In observation,” his voice quavered. “The doctor said he needed to stay seventy two hours while they do all the tests.”

“It’s for the best, Oliver. Maybe they can help him. We haven’t been very successful on that.”

“I know. It just kills me that—” Oliver broke their embrace and walked away from her. Frustration and guilt for not being able to help his best friend had his nerves on the edge. “I never expected to have him back in my life. But much less, I imagined watching him lose his sanity and be at one step to be locked in a padded room. And there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”

He slumped on the couch and rubbed his face with his hands. Felicity got closer and stood in front of him. Oliver wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his cheek against her abdomen, while she ran her hands soothingly over his back.

“You’re helping him, sweetie. You got him the help he needs. That’s the first step. Difficult times are coming, and I know you’ll be there every step of the way right beside Tommy, helping him to get this through.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“He will.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“’Cause I know you, Mr. Queen. You’re capable of doing the impossible. And I’ll be there with you, for when you need a good prep talk.”

He looked up at her face, a smile breaking on his face. She was the only one who could lift his spirit when he was at his worst. “I love you.”

She leaned down and took his lips with hers. “Love you, too,” she breathed, before deepening the kiss.

Oliver hoped she was right. But only time would tell.


	4. The Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy gets a visitor while he's at the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi dearies!
> 
> *peeks in behind my laptop's screen* Look who deigned herself to appear before you!
> 
> Sorry!
> 
> I'm really, _really_ sorry that I took so long for update (a month!), but I got a really good excuse for it. I'm participating in Camp Nanowrimo (which is an event for writers all over the world to write the first draft of a novel -or script, fanfic, poetry, etc, etc, etc- in a month), so that means that I've been really busy and my internet time had been reduce at 30 min a day.
> 
> The good news is this morning inspiration struck (thanks to that awesome weekend full of Olicity bliss) and I wrote this chapter. When I started writing it like a month ago, I had trouble envisioning Damien Darhk, but when Arrow people announced that Neal McDonough had been cast for the role, my problem went away :)
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it. Let me tell you a secret… writing bad guys is really, really, reeeeeeeally fun xP
> 
> Another good news is that I'm working in a new long fic (a crossover) and a few one-shots that I'll be publishing on August.
> 
> Happy reading!!

Tommy was standing in front of the window, with his arm folded over his chest. The last forty eight hours in his life had been hard to endure. His memory of how he got there was fuzzy. A lot of mingled memories of reality and hallucinations was all he got. He knew what doctors had told him. He was brought in by his friend, Oliver, requesting a psych evaluation.

At first, Tommy didn’t question the intentions of Ollie to admit him in. But as the hours and days passed, and his mind somewhat cleared, he started to distrust the true reasons for it. The real reason eluded him, though. The medication, to which he was subjected, was keeping his mind in a fog of confusion.

Did Oliver really want to help him, or just get Tommy out of the way?

The door of his room opened and closed. At first, he thought it was a shrink, making rounds, or a nurse, with a new dose of the meds they were giving him every day. Then, he got a familiar sensation. Even with his dull senses, he could feel the air sizzling with power. The hair on the back of his neck rose and his throat went dry.

He felt the same way when he had been held in the H.I.V.E compound on the rare occasions, when the leader had ‘visited’ him.

For once, he wished to be in the throe of a hallucination. He had had a lot of those in the last few weeks. Somehow, Tommy knew it wasn’t. What he was feeling was real.

He didn’t move, pretending to be unaware of his visitor. Even when the man was walking toward him.

A chuckle broke the silence in the room. “Tommy Merlyn, look where I find you. Lock up, just the way I had you. And I got to tell you, I don’t know if it’s better or worse that you have windows here to see the world outside, to where you might never return. It’s a bit cruel, don’t you think?”

Tommy fell for Damien Darhk’s taunt. He looked at his right, throwing daggers with his eyes. “They’ll release me. Tomorrow.”

Tommy’s words were full of a certainty that he didn’t quite feel. His seventy-two-hours observation ended the next day; he only hoped that he’d be sent home, and not committed to the psych ward, who knows for how long.

He wouldn’t be confined against his will again.

Not for the doctors, much less for Damien Darhk.

“Perhaps, they will. But only if I order it.”

Fear gripped Tommy chest. Just then was when he noticed that Darhk was wearing a white coat and had an ID from the hospital hanging from the front pocket. Was he impersonating a doctor, or did he really worked there? Either way, he probably had the authority to lock him up there forever.

Or worse, to make an excuse and to transfer Tommy to one of his dark cells, like the one he had been since he was brought back to live.

And this time, Tommy was completely sure that would no way for Oliver, or anyone else, to find him. He’d be there, forever.

Literally.

If Damien Darhk had resurrected him once, who said he couldn’t do it again?

Tommy turned toward Darhk, face to face. He kept his arms at his sides, his hands in tight fists, holding the ardent impulse to strangle him with his bare hands. Fear and rage were seething inside him. If he unleashed them that only would cause to break the illusion of the little sanity he had. The real doctors and nurses would come, drugged and subdue him. Then, he would be defenseless against the wishes of the man in front of him.

“Why would you do that? I have no value for you,” he pointed out.

A sinister smirk appeared on Damien’s face. “See, Tommy. There’s where you’re wrong. You’re really precious to me. If you weren’t, I would have left you in your grave. I just want to exploit all your potential in favor of my plans.”

Not trusting in his words, but eager to know what those plans were, Tommy guessed, “You want me to do something for you. Is that why you brought me to life?”

“When I did that, I had a very different purpose planned for you. But if something my long life had taught me is to adapt. To work with what I have and improvise when my plans get sidetracked.”

Tommy said nothing, just stared at Darhk, waiting for him to continue.

With a hint of amusement written in his face, Damien obliged. “For incredible that it sounds, you and I have something in common, Mr. Merlyn. We both were discarded for the people that meant the most to us. Both betrayed for those we considered friends and family.”

“I’ve never been betrayed!” Tommy objected, between clenched teeth.

“Never?” Darhk shoot back, with his eyebrows raised. “Didn’t your father abandoned you when you were a child, in the hour when you needed him the most? And as an adult, didn’t his actions lead you to your premature death?”

Tommy stared blankly at Damien. What he could say about that? Not a thing, it was true. In both accounts. But he had made peace with the fact that his father was a sociopath. The lack of love from his father towards him didn’t hurt anymore, as it used to in the past.

“If that doesn’t bother you, then I’m sure that your best friend in life, Oliver Queen, sleeping with the woman you love does.”

That succeeded in ripping open that wound in his heart again. The memory of Laurel and Oliver kissing and groping, while he watched them helplessly through the window from the sidewalk outside her apartment, was embedded in his retina, forever. And more images of them together came to his mind. Tommy only could imagine all those times they shared a bed.

“And then, he let you die.”

“He tried to save me!” of that, Tommy was completely sure. There wasn’t even an ounce of doubt about it in his mind. Ollie could be guilty of many things, but he cared about Tommy. He remembered that, as he was dying, his friend had been there, crying and desperate for getting him out of the debris. But simply, it was too late. “He didn’t let me die alone. As you said before, my father is the one to blame for my death.”

“Admirable the trust you have for Mr. Queen. But I’m afraid you might have misplaced your fealty. Did you know that he’s the one who gave Malcolm the leadership position of the League of Assassins, one of the most dangerous criminal organizations ever created?”

“Which is the other? Yours?”

The sassy comment didn’t sit well with Darhk. “You can pay no heed to my words, Thomas, but there’s no denying that your father and your so-called best friend are known for working together.”

“Ollie did that only to save our little sister,” that was what Thea had told him.

“Are you sure of that?”

“Yes.”

But his voice didn’t sound like it. He wanted to believe that Oliver, putting aside the cheating incident, was a stand-up guy. But more Damien talked, the more his own doubts started to surface.

“Then, you’re on your own, Tommy. If your faith in him is so incorruptible, there’s nothing I can say to you that will change your mind, and I have no use for you.”

Tommy asked, defiant, “Are you going to kill me, Darhk?” _or worse, let me rot in here?_ he finished in his head. Tommy wouldn’t let himself to show the fear eating him inside, but couldn’t deny it was there. He was terrified.

Tommy’s heart was beating like a runaway horse. Each beat was more painful than the last, while Damien took his time to ponder and give an answer. After a few moments, which for Tommy were an eternity, Darhk assured him, “No, Mr. Merlyn, I’m not going to kill you. You can go back to the delusional perfect life you want.”

Damien walked away, then paused. “But if I were you, I would choose my friends better. Having a man as Oliver Queen, someone who is so proficient in having an alter ego and keeping his true intentions hidden from others, as best friend isn’t the best course of action.”

“According to you, who would be a better candidate?”

“That’s for you to find out. Good day.”

 

 

Damien Dark got out Tommy Merlyn’s room, leaving the young man in deep thought. Damien was pleased for what he had accomplished there. It paid off to have so many of his men and women spread out across the city.

Without his knowledge, Tommy had been monitored the whole time by Damien’s agents. As soon Mr. Merlyn was admitted in Starling City General, Darhk had been notified. Through his agent deployed in the psych ward of the hospital, he was in the possession of the video footage from the camera installed in Tommy’s room. The young man had told many of his inner thoughts and concerns in his sleep and in the worst moments of his insanity. Darhk had manipulated and used Tommy’s own fears and doubts against him.

Damien had sowed the discord between two old friends.

Sooner or later, that seed would flourish. It was all part of new machination to defeat Oliver Queen and his followers.

The only thorn in his side was his daughter, Felicity. He didn’t want to harm her.

He needed to come up with a plan to make sure she would be safe, before taking out Queen and the others for good.

Dr. Redler cut in his train of thought, “Sir, are you done with the patient? Everything okay?”

He looked at his agent and said, “Excellent, doctor. You may release the patient tomorrow. I want a report of his condition while is monitored closely.”

She nodded, “As you wish, sir.”

The best thing he could do now was to retreat and wait for the best moment to use Tommy Merlyn, as a loaded gun.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like it? how's my version of Damien Darhk so far? He's scary, right? I think he's going to be even more scarier in the show and I'm freaking out!!! did you like the choice of Neal McDonough for the role? I love him and I'm so excited!! Did you enjoyed SDCC on the weekend and all the juicy news we got? And the new arrow suit!! OMG!!! *squeals loudly*  
> I shutting up now so you can comment bellow.  
> bye!

**Author's Note:**

> Before I go I want, first, to thank you all for giving me kudos and bookmarked the story. You're the best!!  
> Second, to remind you that you can find me @ [stygian-omada-fan.tumblr.com](http://www.stygian-omada-fan.tumblr.com) where you can talk to me about anything (especially if you have a prompt for me)  
> I'm also at [@Olicity_fics](http://www.twitter.com/Olicity_Fics), where I recommend the fics that I like and tweet anything Olicity/Arrow related. Follow me and I'll follow back.


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